There is no better feeling in this world than having your cat sleep peacefully on your lap. Then one day your cat goes over to your partner, and you are outraged! How dare they snuggle with someone else?!
There are many reasons why cats choose a certain person to sleep with, or to sleep on.
Cats choose the people who they trust the most, those who they feel connected to. They even leave their mark on you so any other cats will know that you are their person.
If you have a new cat and want to become their favorite, or you’re wondering how cats choose who to sleep with, this is the right place to find out.
How Do Cats Choose Who To Sleep With?
This article provides the best explanation for why and how cats choose who to sleep with. Cat behavior is sometimes hard to understand, but when you pay close attention to it you will see that cats are not complicated creatures.
Let’s examine the most common explanations for how cats choose who to sleep with, and I am sure you will recognize your situation in one of them.
Is It Love?
This is a two-way street. You may identify yourself as a cat lover, but does your cat love you?
Your cat may indeed love you, but it is not love that prevails in their decision on who to sleep with. There are many reasons why cats choose who they choose, one of them being the way you sleep.
If you are calm during your sleep, if you do not move around or snore, your cat will most likely choose you because they want to rest as well.
If you are tossing and turning or making any noise, your cat will probably not come and sleep with you.
But don’t worry, if your partner snores a lot, your cat will soon be back in your embrace.
How Do Cats Choose Their Favorite Person?
How do cats choose their favorite person? There are a lot of reasons which feed into this decision.
Cats choose the person who takes care of them from the beginning. The person who feeds them knows their boundaries, and has playtime with them… this is the person who is most likely to become their favorite human.
You need to pet your cat often. Show the cat attention and love, and they will most likely reciprocate.
As my dad says “She’s always petting that cat, that’s why he loves her.” The man answered your question.
You need to speak to your feline friend as well. Pay attention to the way they vocalize to learn what each meow means. This will enable you to respond to their needs more easily and bring you one step closer to being your cat’s favorite.
Although, as we will see in the text below, food is the most important factor that makes your cat’s heart purr for you.
Do Cats Sleep Only With Their Favorite Person?
Cats usually have one main favorite human, but this does not mean that they will always sleep with them, and only them.
You can be your cat’s all-time favorite human, but that does not mean you will have them as a sleeping partner every night.
The answer to this question comes down to coziness and comfort.
Cats need to be comfortable when they go to sleep. If your bed is small, they feel tight or there aren’t enough warm covers, your cat may choose some other spot.
This is when you will probably find them sleeping with someone else. Maybe you could check what the other person has on their bed that you don’t.
Another reason your cat might choose someone else to dream sweet dreams with could be your sleeping schedule.
If you like to sleep in and your cat needs breakfast at the break of dawn, then you may not be a good match.
If you are an early bird, and your cat is a night owl and sleeps throughout the morning, it is obvious they won’t spend their nights with you.
Your partner, or whoever lives with you, might be a better option since your cat’s sleeping schedule might coincide better with theirs.
There are many reasons for why and how cats choose who to sleep with, indoor cats, for example, may choose the room closest to their litter box.
Do Cats Change Their Favorite Person?
Yes. Cats sometimes switch from one person to another. It depends on who spends the most time around the cat.
If it happens, for example, that the cat’s favorite person is away for a long period of time, then the one who starts doing all the things that they used to do, becomes the cat’s new favorite human.
Why Does My Cat Sleep With Me?
There are many reasons why your cat sleeps with you. First of all, they love you and feel your love for them.
Other reasons for this include trust, warmth, safety, or they just consider you theirs.
Cats mark their territory and their humans. They do this so other cats know you are theirs and so are not welcome.
Your cat sleeps on you because they trust you. It is an important factor because cats need to feel safe and secure when they are sleeping.
Cats need to feel safe, in order to rest during their sleep time.
After marking their territory, they find the safest spot for sleeping, so if they snuggle up with you know that they feel safe there.
Another important thing is warmth.
Cats always look for the most comfortable spot in the house, and when it comes to heat, they don’t feel it the same as us.
Human body temperature rests at around 98°F, and cats’ is around 102°F. In order to achieve and keep this temperature without working too hard, cats find warm spots to lay on.
Can I Make My Cat Sleep With Me? And How?
Your cat has chosen someone else over you, and now you want to know how to lure them back to your room.
Well, first you need to make sure you are paying enough attention to your cat during the day.
Are you feeding them, playing with them, petting your cat? Your cat will not come and sleep with you during the night if you are not around during the day.
Besides making an effort and strengthening your relationship with your cat on a daily basis, there are some tricks you can use to get your cat to come and sleep with you.
First of all, make it cozy. Cats like a warm and comfortable bed, especially with some warm covers on top.
Bring toys and snacks. Play with your cat near your bed, and then on the bed. Afterward, reward them with a treat.
It is a long way to go, but it is worth it because there is no greater feeling than when your cat sleeps with you.
More Helpful Advice
Now that we’ve answered the most trending questions, you can read a bit more about your cat’s preferences and what to do to win them over.
Sleeping next to your cat is one of the best feelings in life, so we want to make sure you succeed at it after you read this article.
Cats Need A Safe & Sound Sleeping Spot
A cat’s favorite person is the one the cat trusts the most. If you play with your cat during the day, if you take care of them and if they connect with you, they will most likely choose you over any other family member to be their sleeping partner.
Domesticated cats especially, will decide who to sleep with based on safety. They rely on you to protect them and feel like you can save them from any danger.
You know how they say, no matter how expensive or pretty their cat bed is, your cat will sleep in the cardboard box. This is pretty common, mostly because cats feel safe in it.
They snuggle up inside and they are protected all around.
Cats feel the safest on their territory, and to know where that is they mark it by leaving their scent over it. They mark their favorite humans too.
According to a cat behavior consultant, cats feel the safest when sleeping on you. Once you’ve gained their trust, your body warmth is all they need.
Cat Bed Or My Bed?
Aside from boxes, cats are going to use cat beds from time to time. No cat is the same, some of them like their privacy more than they like cuddling with their favorite human.
Adult cats especially appreciate their “quiet time”, which is why they will spend some of their daily naps in a cat tree or cat bed.
When it comes to your bed, cats sometimes do not know the ratio of sharing. You know how when you go to brush your teeth before bed, you come back and your cat is already sound asleep in the middle of the bed.
Cats are independent creatures, but they love to snuggle in and hide from all the dangers of the outside world.
Wild cats who live in the outside world, however, do not use a cat bed, and they most certainly won’t come to your bed.
They do, however, have their favorite sleeping spot. Every animal has it. Even a wild cat will have a preferred sleeping place; usually somewhere safe, quiet, and guarded on all sides.
Cats Prefer A Clean Bed Over Any Bed
We’ve covered the topic of cats marking their territory and humans. Next to that, they like their beds clean? Won’t that erase their scent?
Your cat does not have a problem marking their territory again and again. But sleeping in a ‘dirty’ bed is a no-no.
Have you ever cleaned your room, made your bed, and then your cat comes and lays on top of your clean and freshly made bed?
Cats are clean animals, they spend most of their day cleaning themselves. When their sleeping spot picks up all those scents, they will stop using it.
This is another survival instinct; since cats do not want the predators to easily find them, it is better to clean their territory often.
Cats love a clean house, and it is advisable to clean it often for your health and your cat’s health.
Cats Have A Different Sleep Schedule
A cat’s sleeping schedule is quite different from ours. They can sleep up to 16 hours a day, all divided into small cat naps. Some humans envy them!
Their sleeping habits change, especially during the winter. When it is cold, your cat will spend most of their time sleeping or purring all snuggled up.
Cats are excellent at regulating their body temperature. During the summer, house cats will probably be laid down under the AC. Outside cats will usually be laying all stretched out, somewhere in the shade.
He Who Feeds Receives The Love
Yes, you heard it. Cats can be bribed too! Some cat owners refuse to believe it, because they want to be their cat’s favorite according to love.
Food, however, is the key factor.
It is actually pretty straightforward; cats bond with the one who regularly feeds them. This is their way of showing gratitude, in order to get food from you again.
Treats can help too, if you want to be the one your cat chooses. Cats mostly form a tight bond with the one who feeds them the most.
Is It Good To Let Your Cat Sleep With You?
In one word: Absolutely!
It is not only good but advisable to let your cat sleep with you. Veterinarians say it is good for cats, and it might be even better for us.
There are many advantages when sleeping next to cats. It reduces stress, calms us, reduces stress and anxiety, and even helps us to fall asleep. Their purring often calms us so we fall asleep faster.
Pets in general can help rid us of loneliness. Having pets cures our depression and anxiety, so imagine what sleeping with one does.
Sleeping with our cats helps us fall asleep and get well-rested. It also helps us to bond with our beloved cat even more.
There is probably only one disadvantage if you let your cat sleep with you.
When your cat goes to ‘the bathroom’ and comes back to bed, you might find bits of cat litter in bed the following morning. Sometimes they get stuck in your cat’s paws, and your cat might go back to bed and clean their paws there.
Your Cat Is Your Personal Protector
If it’s not enough that they help us fight off stress and anxiety, cats protect us as well.
Cats protect you while you’re sleeping. Even though they are independent, more than any other pet, they are protective of their humans.
Cats act as protectors, once they bond with us they consider us theirs. It is their natural instinct to protect their territory, and you are their territory as well.
Final Word
Cats are very similar to humans in many ways; they want to spend most of their time with their favorite human, just like we do.
So to wrap it up, how do cats choose who to sleep with has a lot to do with who their favorite human is.
That, however, does not mean that they will always sleep with their favorite human. They can change their sleeping spots depending on many reasons, such as trust, weather, warmth, and safety.
It doesn’t matter how cats choose who to sleep with, what matters is that you enjoy it when it happens.